


Stand By

by TheSovereigntyofReality



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), F/M, Morgan Stark is Canon, Not Steve Friendly, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie) - Freeform, Potential Future, Team Tony, i changed the tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 08:52:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18407264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSovereigntyofReality/pseuds/TheSovereigntyofReality
Summary: After the defeat of Thanos, Tony makes a huge decision.Iron Man is going into mothballs.For real this time.





	Stand By

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> It's pretty much a given, from the fact that they're planning another Spider-Man movie, that the snap is going to be reversed.

When Tony found out – when he saw those blue eyes looking up at him – he made that decision.

This was it. This was really it. This was Iron Man’s last battle. Sure, the Iron Legion would still be a thing, and FRIDAY would pilot them. Rhodey would still be War Machine or Iron Patriot or whatever the military was calling it these days. But not Iron Man. Iron Man would go down into the workshop, and there it would stay.

 **After the Defeat of Thanos**  
‘So you’re really doing it?’ Peter Parker asked, hopping from one foot to the other.

‘You can be one or the other kid,’ Tony said, sitting down. ‘You can’t be both.’ He nodded across the room. ‘Not without that one suffering for it.’

Peter looked over and nodded. ‘So...Ambassador for Earth?’

‘Yeah.’ Tony nodded. ‘Apparently, my track record with technology and political manoeuvring has them feeling I’m the man for the job.’

***

‘What are you talking about?’ Clint demanded. ‘What about Ultron?’

Fury rubbed the bridge of his nose. ‘For fuck’s sake, Barton! Didn’t you read the inquest report?’

Clint flinched.

‘The inquest found that Stark’s history with artificial intelligences and technology in general, added to the unpredictability of the Infinity Stone – which he was _told_ to study, by his team commander,’ Hill gave Rogers a pointed look, earning a frown in response, ‘meant that he is not culpable for Ultron’s creation.’

Wanda went to say something.

‘Shut it, Maximoff!’ Fury snapped. ‘No one has time for your irrational Stark-hate.’ He then refocused on the rest of the Avengers. ‘Both humans and aliens are all putting the blame for that one on Thor’s shoulders. He knew more about the Infinity Stones. He should’ve at least told Stark what he knew. But he didn’t, and Ultron was the result. And then he proceeded to hoist up, by the throat a man easily ten times weaker than him.’

‘That’s not fair!’ Steve insisted.

‘Sing it to the choir.’ Fury turned his back.

‘We still have Iron Man, right?’ Romanoff asked.

‘No, we do not.’ Fury turned to glare at her. ‘Cause being the Ambassador for Earth means he’s leaving the planet on a regular basis, until we’ve got some sort of a political presence out there. Added to that, while Stark was limping his way back home with Nebula, Potts gave birth to his kid. He’s done with us and he’s done with Iron Man.’

‘I never saw a baby!’ Steve insisted.

Fury cocked an eyebrow at him. ‘Did you see Potts?’

‘Only when she came to greet Tony when he got home,’ Steve said.

‘And when she put on the Rescue armour to help fight,’ Clint pointed out. ‘You’re telling me she did that with a kid at home?’

Fury scoffed. ‘You should have seen half the stuff Maria Stark did when she had a kid at home. Stark men don’t tend to choose women who sit back idly when there’s someone to protect.’

Steve’s face did a constipated twist. ‘So...no Iron Man? Not even to protect his child.’

Fury scoffed. ‘The child is the main reason there’s no Iron Man.’

***

It swirled around in Steve’s head for a full two days.

_‘The child is the main reason there’s no Iron Man.’_

That didn’t make sense. Why would having a child cause Tony to give up the mantle of Iron Man when nothing else did? So Steve went looking for him. As he was no longer funding the Avengers – which was how they ended up back at S.H.I.E.L.D., he was difficult to get a hold of. With Nat’s help, though, he was able to track Tony down.

And he found he wasn’t the only one at the park.

Tony and Pepper seemed to be having a picnic with their infant child. Steve hung back and watched as a little girl in a sparkly pink dress sat on Tony’s lap and messily ate everything that she could get her little chubby hands on. The little girl had the same dark brown hair as Tony did but Steve couldn’t see her eyes.

Steve vaguely noticed that guy – he was a body guard or a driver or something – sitting back in a golf cart with a magazine. Normally, he chased off reporters and photographers, but Steve supposed that was his job so Steve had never bothered to learn his name.

Pepper suddenly began packing up. She then leaned forward and took the little girl’s hands. She started wiping them and her face clean. Tony said something to the girl and the girl clapped her little hands together. Tony swung his daughter up as Pepper packed up the picnic. The bodyguard guy closed his magazine as Tony and Pepper came over.

A hand with a harsh grip suddenly landed on Steve’s shoulder and he spun around.

There was a stocky man standing there, a cigar between his teeth and muttonchops that went down to his chin. ‘Couldn’t help yerself, I see.’

‘Who are you?’ Steve demanded.

‘Name’s Logan.’ He took a puff of his foul-smelling cigar. ‘We thought you might approach Stark after he withdrew funds from you.’

‘You think this is just about the money?’ Steve demanded, appalled.

‘Pretty sure.’

Steve shook his head. ‘Tony’s an Avenger—’

Logan cut him off. ‘When it suits yer.’

‘That’s not true!’ Steve insisted.

‘Keep it down.’ Tony walked around from the bushes. ‘We don’t want the press to notice Tony Stark, Wolverine, and Captain America having an impromptu meeting in the bushes.’ He looked at Logan. ‘How’re we looking on that front?’

‘They’re following Morgan,’ Logan said. ‘New baby Stark. Everybody wants a good picture.’

That didn’t seem right, chasing after a baby just to take a picture. On the other note, how the hell did he know that? Steve looked over his shoulder. The golf cart, Pepper, and Tony’s kid were long gone. Evidently, Tony had slipped away and come around here.

‘Did you want something, Rogers?’ Tony asked pointedly.

‘I heard you put Iron Man away,’ Rogers said.

‘What’s it to you?’ Tony asked.

‘You can’t do that!’ Steve insisted. ‘You’re an Avenger!’

‘As Logan said,’ Tony brushed it off, ‘when it suits you.’

‘Tony...’ Steve gave him a disapproving look.

‘Steve...’ Tony just mimicked him. ‘Yeah, that’s not gonna work anymore. You’ve already demonstrated that when it comes to morality, you’re no better than the rest of us. Actually.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘I’d say you’re worse.’

Steve flinched back. ‘That’s not true!’

Logan scoffed.

‘Have you told the rest of your team what really happened in Siberia?’ Tony asked. ‘I could work with you when my options were limited, but I don’t have to anymore.’

‘And what about your daughter?’ Steve demanded. ‘You’re just going to leave her exposed for all your enemies?’

Tony and Logan both cocked an eyebrow, almost in unison, and looked at each other.

‘He’s a product of his time,’ Logan said. ‘I mean, I’ve heard the expression before but...damn.’

‘Okay,’ Tony drawled. ‘Seeing as I was not alive in the 40s, can you give me the run-down?’

‘A woman’s place was in the home, and her job was to rear the children,’ Logan listed off like it was the most boring thing in the world. ‘A man worked and protected the family. Anything that wasn’t cooking, cleaning, or taking care of small children was the man’s job, because women were considered too weak and feeble-minded to be able to deal with it. That went right down to making independent decisions.’

Tony blinked. ‘Wow. That is really degrading.’

Steve was taken aback by the statement. And by the summary of it. (He wanted to protest, but his eyes kept flicking to Logan and something stopped him.)

Logan nodded at Steve. ‘And that’s how he still thinks.’

Tony cocked an eyebrow at Steve. ‘That explains a lot.’ He then frowned. ‘Wait, you don’t treat Romanoff like that.’

It was out of his mouth before he could consider how Tony would take it. ‘Well, due to her circumstances—’ And he realised he had no idea where that sentence was going to go.

‘Oh, I get it.’ Tony apparently did, though, because he glared darkly at him. ‘If a woman can’t have kids, she’s not a woman at all in your books.’

‘That’s not what I said!’ Steve insisted.

‘No,’ Logan said, ‘but the insinuation’s good enough.’

‘Okay,’ Tony said. ‘So you’ve got a problem with me not being Iron Man anymore and funding you.’

‘The world still needs the Avengers!’ Steve insisted.

‘Yeah, no,’ Logan said.

‘I know this is news to you,’ Tony said, ‘but every country on the planet has their own batch of superheroes. It’s not something that _only_ happens in America. And that’s not even mentioning people like Logan and the other X-Men who are born with their powers. They’re strung all over the face of the planet. And if you want to superhero again, I recommend you go somewhere else. New York is the most populous city in America when it comes to superheroes.’

Steve tried to ignore all of that, but the words cycled all around his head. ‘Fury said your daughter was the reason you’re pulling out of the Avengers.’

‘No, my daughter is the reason I’m pulling out of the superhero business.’ Tony turned his back. ‘Howard was never around when I was growing up. Outside of his normal work hours, he was always doing things for S.H.I.E.L.D. If I wanted or needed anything as a kid, he didn’t have the time. It was always “I’m busy, Tony” or “Go find Jarvis, Tony”. Do you have any idea how that made me feel?’

Steve couldn’t believe this. ‘Are you telling me this is about your own selfish issues! Your dad was doing a good thing.’

Logan scoffed. ‘There’s nothing wrong with being upset about that, Rogers.’

‘He thought he was doing a good thing,’ Tony said. ‘But look how that turned out.’ He stopped but he didn’t turn back around. ‘The point is that his work with S.H.I.E.L.D. left me feeling like an afterthought. I’ll be damned if I let that happen to my own kid.’

Tony walked away.

Steve didn’t stop him.

How did you argue with that?

 **Stark Mansion**  
Tony walked into the living room and he smiled as he immediately heard the high-pitched squeals. He knelt down and caught the squealing toddler as she crossed the room to him with an impressive speed. With a grin, Tony swung her up into the air.

‘How’d it go?’ Pepper asked.

‘That guy really needs to sit through some re-integration classes,’ Tony remarked.

‘And Logan?’

‘Well, it turns out the Professor was right. Logan can look intimidating just by standing there. Rogers didn’t try to strong-arm me once. Did I tell you how glad I am that we went into this sponsoring thing?’

‘So Iron Man’s really gone now?’

‘For me? Yes.’ Tony tickled Morgan and she squirmed, giggling madly. ‘Besides, I’m almost 50. And my heart and lungs aren’t in the best shape. Best to quit while I’m ahead.’

But he wasn’t naive enough to think that someday little Morgan Stark wouldn’t take it into her head to follow in her father’s footsteps.

**Author's Note:**

> The nice thing about "Morgan" is that it's a unisex name. Even though Tony's dream in Infinity War Part I had him seeing a boy, it could just as easily be a girl. (And I've already seen some fan artists play around with this idea.)
> 
> So, what are the odds that if they do make Morgan Stark a real character in the MCU, they're going to make Morgan a girl just because Tony's already said "boy"?


End file.
